2012 Volume 77 Issue 2 Pages 141-148
Localization of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) of four gibbon species in Thailand was studied. Blood samples were taken from 1 male each of the following 3 species: white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar), pileated gibbon (H. pileatus), and white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys): and 1 female of the dark-handed gibbon (H. agilis). These were subjected to standard whole blood T-lymphocyte culture. The samples were harvested by colchicine-hypotonic-fixation-air-drying technique and were followed by the Ag-NOR banding technique. The results showed that the H. lar had NORs on chromosome pair 13 (submetacentric chromosomes) while the H. agilis had NORs on chromosome pair 10 (submetacentric chromosomes) and H. pileatus had NORs on chromosome pair 15 (metacentric chromosomes). In addition, the N. leucogenys showed 5 positions with NORs on chromosomes pairs 23, 24 (acrocentric chromosomes) and the Y-chromosome (submetacentric chromosome). These results are useful to confirm marker chromosomes of gibbons and also comprise basic genetic information for these animals.
